Lynn Anderson is the Founder and a Personal Trainer at Totally Driven in Edina, Minnesota.
Lynn Anderson on the importance of having a vision for your golf fitness center:
My sports background precedes my time in golf, as I played tennis and soccer in college and became a tennis professional for 13 years, playing competitively in Europe and ultimately returning home to coach at the collegiate level. I left tennis and took my shot at professional golf, playing on the Futures Tour before opening Totally Driven in 2006. When I first established the facility, custom clubfitting and golf instruction were our primary services; but I knew I wanted a golf fitness presence as well. I really had a vision of everything being offered under one roof. The original space we inhabited left few opportunities for true growth in this area, however. As time went by and the business grew, we moved to a larger space on the other side of the Twin Cities and now enjoy an 11,000 sq. ft. space. Having left the ownership side of the business in favor of personal training and fitness, our golf fitness programming has grown exponentially as a result of golfers seeking lessons or custom clubfitting. The bulk of my fitness business used to derive from the golf professional staff identifying physical deficiencies in their students, and then getting me involved. Since that time, we have established ourselves as a leader in the industry in our area and now have clients seeking our golf fitness services from the outset. I work collaboratively with our golf professional team to determine if swing issues are deficiencies in the swing itself or are rooted deeper in any physical limitations the student may have. When starting a golf fitness business, it is important to have a vision, forecast growth and determine not only the amount of space your facility will require, but the variety of services to provide.
Lynn Anderson on the business impact of having a vision for your golf fitness center:
When considering the merits of opening a new golf fitness business, consider the full breadth of the amenities and services offered. This information will directly affect everything from staffing to marketing to the very structure in which you plan to set up shop. I learned from my days in tennis that having everything under one roof is a great resource for clients and students. As a golfer, I had to go to my swing coach at one location, my mental coach at another and so on. As a business owner in establishing Totally Driven, me and two colleagues with similar backgrounds in custom clubfitting had like visions for the business we were opening. At 3,500 sq. ft., the original space proved too small to meet our needs, and thus we tripled our size with the move almost a decade later. The holistic approach we strove to provide was the foundation of Totally Driven, and remains a vital pillar of our business today. Combining instruction, clubfitting, technology, fitness and training and special programming has proven a winning formula that was our vision from the start. As golf fitness continues to become a critical aspect of more and more player development programs, establishing your foothold in the industry could and often should incorporate other aspects of the game of golf itself.
If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email lynn@totallydriven.com.
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